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Global Compact Fluorescent Lamp Testing Project Underway
The Global Efficient Lighting Centre (GELC) is a UNEP collaborating facility that provides lighting testing, training, advice, quality control and capacity building support to developing and emerging countries. As a service to en.lighten Partner countries, the GELC is conducting a global compact fluorescent Lamp (CFL) quality testing project involving countries from Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and the South Pacific regions.
The project will test and analyze CFLs of varying wattages for indoor use that are purchased from local markets. Results for each lamp will include initial light output, lumen maintenance, efficacy, and colour quality. Lamps will also be evaluated for electrical safety and mercury content with the testing adopting IEC test methods.
The GELC will share the results with participating countries, offering guidance on interpreting and using the results for discussions regarding lighting policies. The GELC will analyze the overall results and compare them with other publicly available information on CFL testing programs. The GELC will also suggest ways to improving and strengthen lighting quality controls, so that participants can incorporate best practices into their national monitoring, verification and enforcement schemes.
This important project will lead to an improved understanding of lamp quality and technical issues in developing countries. The testing results will assist decision-makers to recognize the importance of quality lighting, and will demonstrate the value of strengthening national quality control and testing systems. Long-term, these activities will increase awareness of quality issues in the lighting sector and encourage countries to develop measurement, verification and enforcement schemes.
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